Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, 2014
December 26, 2022
This intriguing picture was taken at Izumo-taisha, one of Japan's most ancient and sacred Shintō shrines, located on the mountainous western coast of Japan's main island. The site enshrines Ōkuninushi, who in Shintōism is the kami who presides over luck, relationships, commerce, medicine, and agriculture. Every year on January 1st, Izumo-taisha hosts the Omike Festival, and visitors who are curious about the year ahead can line up to receive an Omikuji, a paper slip with a unique fortune on it. As seen in Yoko Ikeda's photograph, it is common to affix the Omikuji to a nearby tree after reading its prediction.
大吉
(We wish you great blessings in the New Year!)
